GCF 14 – 31 March 2013

Glasgwegians are famous for their couthy humour and love of laughter, they might be sneered at by their East Coast rivals in Edinburgh who make jokes like:

“Glasgow has its own version of Monopoly – just one big square that reads: Go To Jail.”

But they’ll be having the last laugh next week when the Glasgow Comedy Festival kicks off.

Now in it’s eleventh year, the festival programme features a huge number of big names that you might not expect to see north of the border for anything less than a long run at the Edinburgh Fringe: Jimmy Carr, Harry Hill, Al Murray, Andy Parsons, Sean Lock, Tom Stade, Paul Merton, Marcus Brigstocke, Richard Herring, Chris Addison and Phill Jupitus are all putting in an appearance.

On the quirkier end of the scale, Billy Kirkwood plays a tattoo parlour and St Enoch’s station hosts a late night of subterranean comedy. There’s also a gala performance in aid of the Prince and Princess of Wales Hospice at the Kings Theatre on Monday 18th March, featuring Karen Dunbar, Fred MacAulay, Des Mclean, Michelle McManus and Des Clarke – who coined the above joke and will be lucky to survive unscathed, given that Glasgow audiences are as renowned for their savagery as they are for their warmth.

Des Clarke will be appearing at the Prince and Princess of Wales Hospice gala at the Kings Theatre on Monday 18th March. Courtesy, Glasgow Comedy Festival.

Johnny Beattie famously said:

“If a Glasgow audience like you, they’ll let you live – if they don’t, they’ll let you know.”

Famous Clydeside Bombers who’ve fallen foul of a Glasgow audience include Roy “Chubby’ Brown, who walked off stage after a mere 4 minutes of heckling at the Clyde Auditorium. And legend has it that Des O’Connor fainted at the Empire and had to be dragged off stage – ‘Goodnight All’ printed on the soles of his shoes and visible for all to see.